I will always love the fact that "A British Tar" is done at first in the traditional manner, but then, to pull the rug from under the audience in the most fun way, they go rock n' roll!
really grateful this was ripped... honest to god i was going to purchase the download from their online store, but it's $16 dollars US! they deserve it certainly but i can't afford that lol
The best version of the Mikado I've ever seen snd I grew up with D'Oyle Carte. I came home from work one morning and the telly was on Sky Arts. This was on, I just stood, stared and then roared with laughter. I bought the DVD and today, I found it on RU-vid, thank you. I don't get all the New Zealand references of course (being English) but that doesn't matter.
Man... I love Jon English's performances of G&S but wow are there some moments in this one that haven't aged well (i.e. made me cringe). To my great surprise the two other performances of The Mikado that I've seen, both made prior to this one, have aged far more gracefully, I feel.
Thank you for posting this! We grew up with Simon’s G&S. Saw it on stage when I was 11 and was hooked. Always wanted our kids to know the joy so happy when we found this as we had lost our copy.
The part at 1:18:36 isn't even from Pinafore, it's "The World is but a Broken Toy" from G&S's later operetta, Princess Ida. But since it's the most beautiful melody Sullivan ever wrote, I sure don't mind it being here. And 1:22:45 is taken from another later operetta too, Iolanthe.
EssGee also made references to Iolanthe in their rendition of The Mikado. In order, The Yeomen, Trial By Jury, The Gondoliers, Iolanthe, and The Gondoliers again, the last transitioning back to the 'wandering minstrel, I' coda.
1:15:57 I was so grateful that they didn't make any slapstick or modernistic changes to "The Sun Whose Rays..." aria. IMHO simply the most beautiful and heartfelt three minutes of music that Gilbert and Sullivan ever wrote. I do wish that they had treated the "My Object All Sublime..." scene with the same respectfulness. Not even David Gould's magnificent bass voice could save that performance from ruin. And Jon English... what can I say? Magnificent. As always. RIP, we'll miss you.
The whole point of Essgee's G&S is to be satires of light operas that were themselves satirical. Any concern with "treating things with respectfulness" is very misplaced and misunderstands G&S's own intentions. For example, "The Sun Whose Rays" is specifically mocking vanity; Sullivan's magnificant scoring doesn't change this fundamental satirical nature.
If anyone has watched their version of Pirates of penzance, the bridal Vail Helen Donaldson wears in the finale looks exactly like the one she wears in the act 1 finale of pinafore. Please tell me what you think
The best thing that ever happend to Gilbert & Sullivan was Ess Gee's interpretation of Little Buttercup, a type of character which was likely not allowed in Victorian England. The second best thing was to add this cadre of expert male dancers.
Brilliant - but a pity that the video makes everyone look short and stumpy and almost portly - much wider from head-to-toe. Does anyone know of any video app or tool to "elongate" everthing and everyone back to their original tall, slim athletic shape? Even the then very tall, fit and slim Jon English looks stumpy and squashed ! Compare with these other vids of the performance uploaded long ago by "Tiggr": ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZabozziNI6w.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ivY2HK777Zg.html Paul G
So happy to have found the Simon & Jon English version of this musical as well as pirates & H.M.S! Grew up on these 3 musicals and probably watched pirates a good 30 times until the video tape eventually became too battered to exist any longer. I was extremely lucky and got to see pirates live in Melbourne, it was Jon English’s last ever portrayal of the pirate king in…I want to say 2009(?). These 3 musicals really helped shaped my interests & the direction my creative endeavours took for life. Comedy can convey even the darkest of messages in a way that keeps everyone engaged and not feeling preached to.
38:18 For those who missed it, Sir Joseph is saying 'um instead of hum, as is typical of his lowly origins, before correcting himself. This was in the original libretto, but not every performance uses that line.
I like seeing these little touches. They help the production age like a fine wine. I grew up with the EssGee G&S trilogy, and it is one I keep coming back to with more nostalgia, particularly since Jon English died in 2016.
Great works of literature and music transcend time. If they are truly great- which G&S works are- they can adapt to modern sensibilities and still be fabulous!
@@tvaddict6623 I'm sure if someone explained to him that it was the only way to pack the Sydney Opera House for one of his shows today was to modernise it with a pop culture star he would understand. But when told he wouldn't get any money for it, even if he somehow came back to life to have the conversation, he would be furious. But then he'd get offers for millions of dollars upfront to write from every opera company in the world, so he would probably feel better about his enduring fame. The scientific community would probably offer him even more money to study why or how he came back to life tho.
As Rowan Atkinson notes, the secret to good slapstick comedy isn't in the person throwing the punches so much as how everyone reacts to being punched. I absolutely adore Katisha's choreography around the 1:00:00 mark. The actors do a very good job of selling the power of the villain.
Many thanks, truly. Just one question: I remember that there were two recorded versions with different cast for Little Buttercup, and I frankly preferred the other one. You wouldn't happen to have that one as well, would you?
